August seasonal update

From seasonal vegetables to game and seasonal fruits, read our monthly market report to find out what to feature on your menus this August

What do Artichokes taste like?

Artichokes have very different flavours depending on how they're consumed. Raw artichokes retain a firmer texture and a bitter taste, in comparison when cooked, artichokes have a softer flavour that is often compared to potatoes, fennel and nuts like almonds and hazelnuts. 

Artichokes are often accompanied with grilled or pan-seared meats like steak or lamb chops. They also go well with seafood dishes and grilled fish.

In this video, Chef Stuart Ralston, Owner of Four Edinburgh Restaurants – LYLA, Noto, Tipo, and Aizle – creates a Dry Aged Turbot, Jerusalem Artichoke, Vin Blanc, N25 caviar recipe in his newest restaurant LYLA. The dish features turbot that is dry aged on site and filled with a scallop mousse.

In 2017, on The Staff Canteen Live stage in Birmingham, Michelin-starred chef Hywel Jones cooked a Turbot, Iberico croquette, melted leeks, Jerusalem artichoke, lemon thyme, and hazelnut.

What to cook with chilli peppers

Chillies are part of the same family as sweet peppers. They come in all sorts of varieties and colours and are one of the world's most popular spices. 

They can be used fresh, dried or powdered, and the level of heat varies from type to type.

As a general rule, the smaller the chilli, the hotter it will be. But it's not all about heat, as each type has its own particular flavour.

Though the complete list is exhaustive, the most common varieties are habaneros, jalapeños, cayenne peppers, serrano, birds eye, and poblano.

 It has a long shelf life and makes an excellent substitute for vegetables in side dishes. It matches very well with light, easily digestible fish and white meat dishes.

Try Chad Byrne's Giant Cromane Mussels, smokey onion, ancho chilli, mussel stock sauce recipe. Ancho chillies are poblano peppers that have been roasted and dried. They have a sweet and smoky flavour which adds richness to cooking.

What is grey mullet and what should you cook with it? 

There is no relation to red mullet; grey mullet resembles seabass but with larger scales. Ideal for cooking with strong flavours, grey mullet makes a good substitute for seabass.

Whole grey mullet need the guts, scales and gills removed, as well as pin-boning, but the skin can be left intact. ts roe is a delicacy smoked and is traditionally used in taramasalata - or in recipes such as Dino Joannides' spaghetti with Grey Mullet bottarga.

What is dab and what should you cook with it?

Dab is a sustainable flat fish similar to sole or plaice with a soft, sweet, milky flesh.  Caught mainly in British inshore waters as bycatch, dab is growing in popularity as a sustainable and cheaper alternative to plaice. It can be grilled, pan-fried or baked whole.

Why not swap plaice for dab in Asma Khan recipe for Macher Malaikari?

How do you cook figs?

Figs grow throughout the Mediterranean and in a variety of colours including red, green and black. Dried figs are on the shelves for the whole year, but fresh ones become available from August. Figs can be eaten raw or cooked: roasted, poached or grilled, added to salads, or why not try them embedded in bread?

See more fig recipes like this recipe: Tuna, figs and beetroot by Filip Poon

When does the grouse shooting season start?

Similar in size to chickens and in form to partridge, grouse are very popular game birds. There are a variety of species, found in different parts of Ireland, Scotland and the north of England. Red grouse are shot in large quantities during the grouse season which begins on the Glorious Twelfth (12th August) and is normally roasted.

Watch chef Ben Murphy cook a grouse, roasted on the bone and served with chard, chocolate and blackberries.

How do you cook a grouse?  

Watch Tom Kitchin prepare and cook this grouse recipe: 

Want more grouse recipes? Take a look at our great selection in our recipe section 

How do you cook monkfish tail?

Typically only the meaty tails of monkfish make it to the table. It will not be winning any awards for aesthetics. However, monkfish tail meat has been compared taste-wise to lobster meat. Monkfish is usually sold in tails, fillets (steaks) or cheeks. It usually comes skinned and filleted with the pinkish membrane stripped away; if this hasn’t been removed, pull it off before cooking, or it will shrink around the fillet, making it twist. The liver is also edible, but it's much more common in Japanese cuisine.

Try this roasted monkfish tail in this recipe from Kevin Bonus!

Find more monkfish recipes from chefs  

What goes well with peaches?

Juicy and ripe, the humble peach epitomises long sunny days, and it is at its best in British summertime. A versatile fruit, peaches work well with both sweet and savoury dishes and can go so much further than a peach pie or cobbler. They also make an ideal pairing with more salty meats such as pork, ham, and even brisket.

Check out this seared foie gras with a peach chutney recipe from Luke Tipping or Reuben Riffel recipe for Pan-fried duck breast with South African peach, cinnamon and lemon sauce.

Watch Glynn Purnell prepare and cook this beef carpaccio and peach recipe: 

Looking for more recipes featuring peaches? 

What is the difference between lamb, hogget and mutton?

‘Lamb’ is classed as young sheep meat under 1 year old; the animals are still classed as lamb until they have grown their first incisors. This meat is delicate in flavour and tender in texture.

‘Hogget’ is sheep meat between 1-2 years old. This tends to be produced from the slow-growing hill breeds, such as Herdwick, as they often do not fatten in time to be classed as a lamb. Hogget is delicious and benefits from the tenderness of a relatively young animal along with some of the richer flavour of older sheep meat.

‘Mutton’ is sheep meat over 2 years old, this worthy meat is truly superb when reared on a grass diet, the carcass is dry aged on the bone to mature and tenderise. The meat is rich and deep in flavour.

Watch Michelin-starred chef Elliot Hill from Arkle, in Chester, create a delicious Herdwick hogget and lettuces, anglers relish, morel recipe.

Watch chef Nathan Davies create a Welsh lamb dish that is cooked whole on the saddle in the restaurant and served with black garlic.

Are you using any of these seasonal ingredients in your menus? Upload your pics and recipes to our Chef+ mobile app!